STORY BY JOE MORRIS PHOTOGRAPHY BY WES ALDRIDGE
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ure, you’d expect to find cowboy boots in Texas, but in San Angelo, boot makers are world famous for creating unique footwear that has been seen everywhere from rodeos to the big screen. For nearly 100 years, the city has been home to three custom boot makers: J.L. Mercer Boot Co., Brest Boots and M.L. Leddy’s. Watch the craftsmen work with the leather, speak with the owners for a bit, and you’ll know why this profession continues to thrive here. “We do everything like you’re supposed to, and that’s what gets our name out there,” says Robert Brest, who along with his wife, Karen, owns Brest Boots. The two bought the business, which was founded in 1923, four years ago and have wasted little time elevating its profile. Brest’s most recent accolades include first-place honors at the Best of American Bootmakers competition at the Festival of American Music and Crafts, as well as a repeat win in the Best Shop Effort category. In addition to boots, the shop also makes R.E. Donaho saddles and carries a line of jewelry and purses created by Karen Brest. Yet, the boots get the most attention, most recently on the feet of several actors in the Academy Awardwinning movie, No Country for Old Men. “We’re a true West Texas boot shop, and we just want to be the best we can be,” Brest says. Such is the allure of the boot-making trade that it can even make a banker give up her day job. At least that’s the case for former bank CFO Lindsay Cranek, who bought J.L. Mercer & Son in 2007. The shop, which was founded in 1923, just had an appeal she could not deny. “I kept seeing that it was for sale, and I collect boots, so I just decided it was a good time to have my own business,” Cranek says. Over the years, Mercer boots have emerged from the pants legs of President Lyndon Johnson, John Wayne, Charlie Daniels and more. And although she’s fairly new to the trade, Cranek has a definite ace in the hole. “Even though he’s 87 now, Mr. Mercer comes by most days,” Cranek says. “He checks on us, and he can tell how good the boots are just by feel.” Over at M.L. Leddy’s it’s still all in the family, as Leddy granddaughter Beverly Franklin Allen handles sales at the San Angelo store while her brother, Wilson, operates the Fort
A craftsman stretches and secures leather around the sole of a boot at J.L. Mercer Boot Co., which was founded in San Angelo in 1923. Top left: Elaborate stitching is created by a craftsman at Brest Boots. Top right: M.L. Leddy’s retro sign greets visitors at the business’s new downtown location.
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Worth headquarters and store. M.L. Leddy founded the business in Brady in 1922 and moved the shop to San Angelo in 1936. Five years later, he opened the Fort Worth location, yet all of the custom boot orders are filled here. The San Angelo shop returned to downtown in 2007 from a 20-year stint within a nearby shopping center. The new downtown location has become a tourist destination in its own right after adding a glass window that looks onto the assembly area. “We’re still using the same equipment that M.L. used,” Allen says. “We still do it the exact same way as when he started, and we’ve got people who’ve been with us 30, 40 years. People like to come in and watch, and sometimes I take them back there for a closer look. I’m not supposed to, but I just can’t help myself. It really is a dying art, and I really want people to see the quality, the touch that goes into each boot.”
SEE MORE ONLINE | Watch custom boots being created at M.L. Leddy’s in downtown San Angelo at imagessanangelo.com.
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